[Python-Dev] Python environment registration in the Windows Registry

[Paul Moore]

On 3 February 2016 at 17:04, Steve Dower <steve.dower at python.org> wrote:
> Rest of the email is spelling out how to create the scenario above, since I
> assume people won't believe it :)
>
> 1. Take Python 3.4.1, install it (Just for Me), zip up the stdlib into
> python34.zip and copy the binaries and zip to a "portable" folder
>
> 2. Update to Python 3.4.2 on the main machine
>
> 3. Run "-m test test_grammar" with your portable 3.4.1.
>
> 4. Boom! SyntaxError in test_grammar.py because you picked up the 3.4.2
> stdlib (the error comes from https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/4ad33d82193d)

Sigh. There's nothing so small that it isn't a compatibility break :-)

But of course this process violates the rule "set PYTHONHOME or have a
Lib/os.py *file* alongside python.exe". Like you say the rules are
subtle enough that people will make mistakes :-(

Thanks for the explanation.
Paul